JP7349973B2 - Door operation assist device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a door operation assisting device that assists in opening and closing a vehicle door.

As this type of device, a device in which the handle body moves from a stored position to a pop-up position toward the outside of the vehicle and at the rear of the vehicle during use is conventionally known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The device described in Patent Document 1 has a link mechanism having a first link and a second link, and is configured such that the handle body moves from the storage position to the pop-up position via the link mechanism.

JP2020-84457A

However, since the device described in Patent Document 1 requires a link mechanism to be provided on the door, the structure of the door becomes complicated, leading to an increase in cost.

A door operation assisting device, which is one aspect of the present invention, is provided on the outside of a vehicle door so as to be rotatable about one end in the longitudinal direction as a fulcrum, and is a doorknob that is operated by a user when opening and closing the vehicle door. and an extension member fixed to the doorknob so as to extend the doorknob from the other longitudinal end along the direction in which the doorknob extends.

According to the present invention, the door operation assisting device can be constructed at low cost without complicating the structure of the door.

1 is a perspective view showing an example of a vehicle to which a door operation assisting device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a problem assumed by the door operation assisting device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main part configuration of a door operation assisting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the installation operation of the door operation assisting device according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing a state through which a cover forming a door operation assisting device according to an embodiment of the present invention is seen; FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the main parts of the door operation assisting device taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 3. 1 is a diagram showing an example of use of a door operation assisting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of main parts of a modified example of the door operation assisting device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the structure of the cover in the modification of FIG. The figure which shows the modification of FIG. 9A. The figure which shows the other modification of the door operation assistance device based on embodiment of this invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a vehicle 1 to which a door operation assisting device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, the front-rear direction (length direction), left-right direction (vehicle width direction), and up-down direction (height direction) of the vehicle 1 are indicated by arrows. As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 1 has doors 2 for getting on and off each of the front, rear, left and right sides of a vehicle body frame. In addition, in FIG. 1, only the door 2 on the right side (driver's seat side) of the vehicle 1 is shown. In the following, the configuration of the driver's seat door 2 will be explained in particular.

The door 2 is a hinged door rotatably supported around a shaft portion 2a at the front end, and a well-known engagement mechanism 2b that engages with the vehicle body frame is provided at the rear end. The door 2 engages with the vehicle body frame via the engagement mechanism 2b and is maintained in a closed state. A doorknob 10 is provided on the outer panel 3 on the outside of the door 2 near the rear end of the door 2. The doorknob 10 extends substantially horizontally in the front-rear direction while maintaining a substantially constant length (width) in the up-down direction, and is provided with a grip portion 11 that is gripped by a user at a central portion in the front-rear direction.

The outer panel 3 is provided with a recess 3 a recessed inward in the left-right direction at a portion facing the grip portion 11 . This increases the gap SP0 between the doorknob 10 and the outer panel 3. Therefore, the user can easily insert his or her hand (fingertips) into the gap SP0 from above or below, and can easily grip the doorknob 10. Note that the doorknob 10 may be formed to protrude outward in the left-right direction in a substantially curved shape, thereby providing a gap SP0 between the doorknob 10 and the outer panel 3.

The front end 12 of the doorknob 10 is rotatably supported by the door 2 around a vertically extending shaft 13 as a fulcrum. The rear end portion 14 of the doorknob 10 is located further forward than the rear end portion of the door 2. When the user rotates (pulls) the grip portion 11 toward the user side (toward the right side of the vehicle), the doorknob 10 rotates outward in the left-right direction (to the right) using the shaft portion 13 as a fulcrum, and the rear end portion 14 rotates. It moves in a direction away from the outer panel 3. As the doorknob 10 is rotated, the engagement mechanism 2b is disengaged and the door 2 can be opened.

Although detailed illustrations are omitted, the rear end of the door 2 includes a locking mechanism 4 that locks the door 2 in a closed state, and an unlocking mechanism 5 that unlocks the door 2. provided. A capacitive unlock sensor 15 is provided inside the grip 11 of the doorknob 10 to detect an operation of the grip 11 when the user attempts to open the door 2 . A capacitive lock sensor 16 is provided on the outside of the doorknob 10 to detect a user's operation to lock the door 2.

Locking and unlocking of the door 2 is commanded via a vehicle key carried by the user. This vehicle key is a wireless key (so-called FOB key) configured to be able to communicate with an electronic control unit (referred to as an on-vehicle device) mounted on the vehicle 1. When the unlock sensor 15 detects an unlock command operation by the user while the door 2 is locked, the in-vehicle device checks the ID of the wireless key and the ID of the vehicle 1. If it is determined that the IDs match, an unlock command is output to the unlock mechanism 5. As a result, the unlocking mechanism 5 is activated and the door 2 is unlocked.

On the other hand, when the lock sensor 16 detects an operation of a lock command by the user while the door 2 is unlocked, the in-vehicle device checks the ID of the wireless key and the ID of the vehicle 1. If it is determined that the IDs match, a locking command is output to the locking mechanism 4. As a result, the lock mechanism 4 is activated and the door 2 is locked.

By the way, when a user gets into the vehicle 1, the user generally opens the door 2 by grasping the grip part 11 of the doorknob 10 on the right side of the door 2 (driver's door), and then pushes the outside of the rear end of the door 2. The driver takes a detour, moves to the rear of door 2, rotates door 2 further to the right, and gets on the vehicle in this state. However, when the user is using a wheelchair, for example, there is a possibility that the door 2 and the wheelchair will interfere and the door 2 cannot be opened sufficiently.

FIG. 2 is a diagram explaining this point. As shown in FIG. 2, when a user PS using a wheelchair W operates the doorknob 10, the legs of the wheelchair W or the user PS interfere with the door 2, and the door 2 cannot be opened sufficiently. Therefore, it is necessary to move the wheelchair W backward (in the direction of arrow A) to a position where it does not interfere with the door 2, and operate the doorknob 10 in this state. However, in this case, the distance from the user PS to the doorknob 10 is long, making it difficult to reach the doorknob 10 and making it difficult to operate the doorknob 10. Not only when the user PS uses a wheelchair W, but also when another vehicle is parked on the right side of the vehicle 1, detour around the outside of the rear end of the door 2 to the right of the door 2 (driver's door). Similarly, if there is not enough space for the user PS to open the door 2 by operating the doorknob 10, it is not easy for the user PS to open the door 2.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the door 2 can be easily opened when the user using the wheelchair W opens the door 2 or when opening the door 2 when there is not enough space on the side of the door 2. The door operation assist device is configured as follows so that:

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the main part configuration of the door operation assisting device 100 according to the present embodiment, and is a perspective view showing the vicinity of the door knob 10 of the door 2 of the driver's seat, that is, a view seen diagonally from the right front. As shown in FIG. 3, the door operation assisting device 100 includes a cover 20 made of resin that surrounds the doorknob 10, and the cover 20 covers the entire doorknob 10.

The cover 20 includes a front cover part 21 that extends from the front end part 12 of the door knob 10 to the grip part 11 and has a substantially curved shape along the right surface of the door knob 10. It has a rear cover part 22 that extends rearward beyond the rear cover part 22. The entire cover 20 is configured to be substantially symmetrical in the vertical direction, and an upper cover portion 23 and a lower cover portion 24 are provided on the top and bottom surfaces of the cover 20, respectively. The top and bottom surfaces of the doorknob 10 are covered by an upper cover part 23 and a lower cover part 24, respectively.

The rear cover part 22 is longer than the front cover part 21 in the vertical direction, that is, it is formed wider. The rear cover part 22 projects further rearward than the upper cover part 23 and the lower cover part 24. Therefore, behind the doorknob 10, a gap SP1 is formed between the rear end of the rear cover part 22 and the outer panel 3 from above to the rear and below. In other words, a gap SP1 is formed that is open on three sides: upper, rear, and lower. Thereby, the user PS can insert his hand into the gap SP1 from behind the door 2 and operate the rear end portion of the cover 20.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the operation when attaching the cover 20 to the doorknob 10. As shown in FIG. 4, when attaching the cover 20, a metal plate 25 (for example, an aluminum plate) is attached to the doorknob 10 in advance. The metal plate 25 is formed by bending a substantially rectangular flat plate into a substantially U-shaped cross section, and is hooked and locked onto the grip portion 11 of the doorknob 10 from above. An operating section 10 a facing the unlock sensor 15 is provided on the inner surface (left surface) of the grip section 11 of the doorknob 10 . The metal plate 25 is placed with its left end in contact with the operating section 10a, and the unlock sensor 15 detects the operation of the operating section 10a, that is, the touch of the user PS's hand on the operating section 10a. A front end of a harness 26 whose periphery is coated with an insulator is electrically connected to the rear end of the metal plate 25 on the outside of the grip 11 .

FIG. 5 is a perspective view (a perspective view shown through the cover 20) showing the internal configuration when the cover 20 is attached. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a metal plate 27 (for example, an aluminum plate) is attached to the inner surface of the rear cover portion 22, that is, the left surface (back surface) when the cover 20 is attached. As shown in FIG. 5, an operating section 10b facing a lock sensor 16 is provided behind the grip section 11 of the doorknob 10. Touching is detected.

The metal plate 25 is placed in front of the lock sensor 16, and the metal plate 27 is placed behind the lock sensor 16. That is, the metal plates 25 and 27 are respectively arranged apart from the lock sensor 16 so as to be in a non-conducting state with the lock sensor 16. The rear end of the harness 26 is electrically connected to the front end of the metal plate 27. As a result, the metal plate 25 and the metal plate 27 become electrically connected via the harness 26. As shown in FIG. 3, the cover 20 is provided with an opening 28 passing through the cover 20 at a position corresponding to the operating portion 10b, and the operating portion 10b is exposed through the opening 28.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a main part of the door operation assisting device 100 taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 3. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a fixture 30 for fixing the cover 20 is disposed between the grip portion 11 of the doorknob 10 and the recess 3a of the outer panel 3. The fixture 30 has a substantially box shape as a whole, and is provided with a plurality of reinforcing ribs 31 inside. As shown in FIG. 6, the height (vertical length) of the fixture 30 is approximately equal to the length from the upper cover part 23 to the lower cover part 24 of the cover 20. As shown in FIG. The thickness (length in the left-right direction) of the fixture 30 is shorter than the length in the left-right direction of the gap SP0 between the grip part 11 and the recessed part 3a. As shown in FIG. 5, the length of the fixture 30 (length in the front-rear direction) is approximately equal to the length in the front-rear direction of the grip portion 11, and the right side of the fixture 30 is formed in a curved shape along the left side of the grip portion 11. be done.

A pair of front and rear screw holes 32 are provided on the top and bottom surfaces of the fixture 30, respectively. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper cover part 23 and the lower cover part 24 of the cover 20 are provided with a pair of front and rear through holes 29 corresponding to the screw holes 32, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, with the fixture 30 in contact with the metal plate 25 so that the metal plate 25 is sandwiched between the grip part 11 and the fixture 30, the bolt 33 that has passed through the through hole 29 is inserted. When screwed into the screw hole 32, the top and bottom surfaces of the fixture 30 are fixed to the cover 20, and the fixture 30 is held inside the cover 20. Note that, as shown in FIG. 3, the head of the bolt 33 is covered with a cap 34.

A procedure for installing the door operation assisting device 100 configured as above will be explained. When attaching the door operation assisting device 100, first, as shown in FIG. Hook it on the grip part 11. Next, insert the fixture 30 (FIG. 5) into the gap SP0 between the grip part 11 and the recessed part 3a, and in this state cover the doorknob 10 with the cover 20 from the right side of the vehicle, and insert the cover 20 between the upper cover part 23 and the lower cover part 24. The fixture 30 is fitted to the holder. Finally, insert bolts 33 (Fig. 5) into the upper cover part 23 and the lower cover part 24 from above the upper cover part 23 and from below the lower cover part 24, respectively, and screw them into the screw holes 32 of the fixture 30. . As a result, the cover 20 and the fixture 30 are fixed with the metal plate 25 and the grip portion 11 sandwiched therebetween.

In the installation of the door operation assisting device 100 described above, the installation work is easy because the metal plate 25 is simply hooked onto the grip part 11 of the doorknob 10 and then the cover 20 and the fixture 30 are fixed. Further, since the cover 20 and the fixture 30 are fastened together via the bolts 33, the cover 20 and the fixture 30 can be firmly fixed, and the door operation assisting device 100 may not rattle due to vibrations etc. during driving. can be prevented from occurring.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of how the door operation assisting device 100 is used. As shown in FIG. 7, when the door operation assisting device 100 is attached to the door 2 on the right side of the vehicle (for example, the driver's door), the inside (left side) of the rear cover section 22 behind the grip section 11 of the door knob 10 is attached. , a gap SP1 is formed which is open at the rear, upper side, and lower side. When opening the door 2, the user inserts his hand into the gap SP1 from the rear of the vehicle, and touches the metal plate 27 inside the rear cover part 22. This operation is detected by the unlock sensor 15 (FIG. 1) via the harness 26 and the metal plate 25. As a result, the unlocking mechanism 5 (FIG. 1) is activated and the door 2 is unlocked.

Thereafter, when the user rotates the rear cover portion 22 to the right, the door knob 10 integrated with the cover 20 is also rotated to the right. As a result, the engagement mechanism 2b (FIG. 1) at the rear end of the door 2 is disengaged, allowing the door 2 to be opened. Since the rear cover part 22 is wider than the grip part 11 of the doorknob 10, the cover 20 can be easily rotated. In this manner, in this embodiment, the door 2 can be opened by operating from the rear of the door 2. Therefore, the door 2 can be easily opened by the user PS (FIG. 2) using the wheelchair W.

When locking the door 2 after closing, the user operates the operating portion 10b on the surface of the doorknob 10 through the opening 28 on the top surface of the cover 20. This operation is detected by the lock sensor 16 (FIG. 1). As a result, the locking mechanism 6 (FIG. 1) is activated and the door 2 is locked.

According to this embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.
(1) The door operation auxiliary device 100 is provided on the outside of the vehicle door 2 so as to be rotatable about a shaft portion 13 of the front end portion 12, which is one end portion in the length direction. a cover 20 fixed to the doorknob 10 so as to extend the doorknob 10 from the rear end 14, which is the other end in the lengthwise direction, along the front-rear direction in which the doorknob 10 extends; (Figures 1 and 3).

This allows the doorknob 10 to be rotated from behind the doorknob 10 through the cover 20. Therefore, when the user PS using the wheelchair W opens the door 2 or when opening the door 2 when there is not enough space on the side of the door 2, the door 2 can be easily opened. . Since the door operation assisting device 100 simply attaches the cover 20 to the existing doorknob 10, it can be constructed at low cost without complicating the construction of the door 2.

(2) The door 2 is provided so as to be rotatable about a vertically extending shaft portion 2a (rotation shaft) as a fulcrum (FIG. 1). The cover 20 extends in the opposite direction of the shaft portion 2a, that is, toward the rear (FIG. 7). As a result, the distance from the rotation axis to the point of application of the force becomes longer, and the hinged door 2, which is opened by the rotation operation, can be easily opened with a small force.

(3) The doorknob 10 extends in the front-rear direction from the front end 12 to the rear end, and has a grip part 11 between the front end 12 and the rear end 14 that is gripped in the vertical direction by the user. (Figure 1). By attaching the cover 20 to such a doorknob 10, the door 2 can be easily opened without operating the grip part 11.

(4) The doorknob 10 includes an unlock sensor 15 that detects a command to unlock the door by a user's operation (FIG. 1). The door 2 has an unlocking mechanism 5 that unlocks the door by communicating between a wireless key (FOB key) carried by the user and an in-vehicle device when an unlocking command for the door lock is detected by the unlocking sensor 15. (Figure 1). The cover 20 includes a metal plate 27 inside the rear cover part 22 that is operated by the user when unlocking the door, a harness 26 and a metal plate 25 that transmit the operation of the metal plate 27 to the unlock sensor 15, (Figure 5). Thereby, when the entire doorknob 10 is covered by the cover 20, the door 2 can be unlocked using the existing unlock sensor 15.

(5) The unlock sensor 15 and the lock sensor 16 are configured to detect changes in capacitance. The cover 20 has a rear cover part 22 made of a resin material so as to cover the doorknob 10 (FIG. 3). A conductive metal plate 27 is attached to the back side of the rear cover part 22, and the unlock sensor 15 connects the harness 26 connected to the metal plate 27 and the metal plate 25 connected to the harness 26. The operation of the board 27 is detected. Thereby, the metal plate 27 can be placed apart from the unlock sensor 15 and the lock sensor 16. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sensors 15 and 16 from erroneously detecting a locking operation and an unlocking operation, and it is possible to prevent the locking mechanism 4 and the unlocking mechanism 5 from malfunctioning.

(6) The doorknob 10 has a lock sensor 16 that detects a door locking command by a user's operation (FIG. 1). The door 2 has a lock mechanism 5 that locks the door 2 by communicating between a wireless key (FOB key) carried by the user and an on-vehicle device when a door lock command is detected by a lock sensor 16 (FIG. 1). ). The cover 20 is provided with an opening 28 so that the operating section 10b corresponding to the lock sensor 16, that is, the operating section 10b operated by the user when actuating the door lock, is exposed (FIG. 7). Accordingly, when locking the door 2, the user operates the existing lock sensor 16, so that the lock operation is detected with high accuracy, and the lock mechanism 5 can be operated stably.

(7) The cover 20 is placed on the outside of the doorknob 10 (FIG. 3). The door operation assisting device 100 further includes a fixture 30 that is placed inside the grip portion 11 of the doorknob 10 and fixed to the cover 20 with the doorknob 10 in between (FIG. 4). Thereby, the cover 20 can be firmly fixed to the doorknob 10 without performing any processing on the doorknob 10.

The above embodiment can be modified into various forms. Some modified examples will be described below. In the above embodiment, the metal plate 25 is hooked onto the grip portion 11 of the doorknob 10, but such a metal plate 25 may be omitted. FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing the main part configuration of a door operation assisting device 100A, which is an example thereof. As shown in FIG. 8, a conductive metal plate 40 (for example, an aluminum plate) is attached to the fixture 30. The metal plate 40 is disposed between a vertical plate portion 41 that is interposed between the fixture 30 and the doorknob 10 and extends substantially in the vertical direction, and the upper surface of the fixture 30 and the upper cover portion 23 of the cover 20. The horizontal plate portion 42 extends in a substantially horizontal direction, and has a substantially L-shaped cross section.

A conductive metal plate 43 (for example, an aluminum plate) is interposed between the horizontal plate part 42 and the upper cover part 23. The cover 20 and the fixture 30 are fixed by bolts 33 (FIG. 5) that pass through the cover 20 and the metal plates 43, 40 and are screwed into the screw holes 32 (FIG. 5) of the fixture 30. FIG. 9A is a front view showing the inner structure of the cover 20. FIG. As shown in FIG. 9A, the metal plate 43 is connected to the metal plate 27 on the inside (back side) of the rear cover part 22 via the harness 26. As a result, the operation of the metal plate 27 is transmitted to the inside of the grip part 11 of the doorknob 10 via the harness 26, the metal plate 43, and the metal plate 40, and the unlock command is detected by the unlock sensor 15 (FIG. 1). be able to.

FIG. 9B is a diagram showing a modification of FIG. 9A. In FIG. 9B, a metal plate 44 is attached to the inside of the cover 20. The metal plate 44 has plate parts 44a and 44c provided at the same positions as the metal plates 27 and 43 in FIG. 9A, respectively, and a plate part 44b connecting the plate parts 44a and 44c. The plate portion 44b is arranged to the left of the doorknob 10 so as not to come into contact with the doorknob 10. With the configuration of FIG. 9B, as in FIG. 9A, the operation of the plate portion 44a is transmitted to the metal plate 43 via the plate portions 44b and 44c, and the unlock command is detected by the unlock sensor 15 (FIG. 1). I can do it. According to the configuration of the above modification, the work of hooking the metal plate 25 to the doorknob 10 is not necessary, so that the door operation assisting device 100A can be easily attached.

In the embodiment described above, the cover 20 is attached to the doorknob 10 via the fixture 30, but the fixture 30 may be omitted. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a door operation assisting device 100B, which is an example thereof. As shown in FIG. 10, the door operation assisting device 100B includes a cover 200 made of resin that is attached to the doorknob 10. The cover 200 includes a front cover part 210 that extends in the front-rear direction along the surface (right side) of the grip part 11, and a rear cover part 220 that extends rearward from the rear end of the front cover part 210.

The rear cover part 220 is configured similarly to the rear cover part 22 described above, and a metal plate 27 is attached to the inside of the rear cover part 220. The front end of the metal plate 27 is connected to the rear end of a band-shaped metal plate 270 . The metal plate 270 extends forward toward the inside of the front cover portion 210. Note that the metal plate 27 and the metal plate 270 can also be integrally molded, for example, by press working. A pair of front and rear through holes 211 are bored in the front cover part 210 . The rear through hole 211 is provided to penetrate the metal plate 270. A screw hole 111 is provided on the surface of the grip portion 11 of the doorknob 10 in correspondence with the position of the through hole 211.

The cover 200 is attached by screwing bolts 212 passing through the through holes 211 into the screw holes 111. The bolt 212 is made of conductive metal. When the cover 200 is attached, the metal plate 27 and the unlock sensor 15 are electrically connected via the metal plate 270 and the bolt 212. Therefore, when the metal plate 27 is operated by the user as shown in FIG. 8, the operation is detected by the unlock sensor 15, and the door 2 can be unlocked. Note that, similarly to the embodiment of FIG. 7, when locking the door 2 after closing, the user operates the operating portion 10b on the surface of the doorknob 10 through the opening 280 provided on the top surface of the cover 200.

In this way, in the example of FIG. 10, the door operation assisting device 100B is configured without the fixture 30, so the gap SP0 between the grip portion 11 and the recess 3a of the outer panel 3 is maintained as it is. Thereby, the user can insert his/her hand into the gap SP0 from above or below, and by operating the doorknob 10, the door 2 can be unlocked and opened. Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 10, there is no need to provide a metal plate 25 that can be hooked onto the doorknob 10, so an increase in the number of parts can be suppressed and the configuration can be simplified.

In the embodiment described above, the doorknob 10 is provided to be rotatable about the shaft portion 13 (rotation shaft) at one end in the front-rear direction extending in the vertical direction as a fulcrum, but the structure of the doorknob is not limited to this. That is, the doorknob may have any configuration as long as it is rotatably provided on the outside of the vehicle door about one end in the length direction as a fulcrum and is operated by the user when opening and closing the door. In the above embodiment, the cover is fixed to the doorknob 10 so that the doorknob 10 extends toward the rear end of the door 2. The extension member may have any configuration as long as it is fixed to the doorknob so as to extend from the side opposite to the dynamic fulcrum.

In the above embodiment, the doorknob 10 is provided with the capacitive unlock sensor 15 that detects a command to unlock the door by the user's operation, but the configuration of the unlock command detector is not limited to that described above. . For example, it may be configured as an unlocking command detector that detects button operation. In the above embodiment, the doorknob 10 is provided with the capacitance type lock sensor 16 that detects a door lock command by a user's operation, but the configuration of the lock command detector is not limited to that described above. For example, it may be configured as a lock command detector that detects button operation. In the above embodiment, when the unlock sensor 15 detects a door lock unlock command, the door lock is unlocked by communicating between the wireless key carried by the user and the in-vehicle device. The structure of the mechanism is not limited to that described above. In the above embodiment, when a door lock command is detected by the lock sensor 16, the door 2 is locked by communication between the wireless key carried by the user and the in-vehicle device, but the configuration of the locking mechanism is the same as described above. Not limited to things.

In the embodiment described above, the operation of the metal plate 27 (second metal plate) at the rear end of the cover 20 is transmitted to the unlock sensor 15 via the harness 26 and the metal plate 25 (first metal plate). However, the configuration of the operation transmission section is not limited to that described above. In the embodiment described above, the cover 20 is provided to cover the doorknob 10 except for the operating portion 16b facing the lock sensor 16. That is, although the cover 20 is provided so as to expose the operating section 16b, the cover (extension member) may be provided so that at least the operating section 16b corresponding to the lock command detector is exposed. In the above embodiment, the cover 20 is fixed to the doorknob 10 using the fixture 30, but the structure of the fixing member is not limited to this.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the door operation assisting device of the present invention is applied to a hinge type door 2 that is rotatably provided around a front rotation axis, but the door operation assisting device of the present invention can also be applied to a sliding type door. Can be applied.

The above description is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications as long as the characteristics of the present invention are not impaired. It is also possible to arbitrarily combine the above embodiment and one or more of the modifications, and it is also possible to combine the modifications.

1 Vehicle, 2 Door, 2a Rotating shaft, 4 Lock mechanism, 5 Unlock mechanism, 10 Door knob, 11 Grip, 15 Unlock sensor, 16 Lock sensor, 20 Cover, 25 Metal plate, 26 Harness, 27 Metal plate, 30 Fixtures, 100, 100A, 100B Door operation auxiliary device

Claims (7)

a doorknob that is rotatably provided on the outside of the vehicle door using one end in the length direction as a fulcrum and is operated by a user when opening and closing the vehicle door;
A door operation assisting device comprising: an extension member fixed to the doorknob so as to extend the doorknob from the other end in the lengthwise direction along the direction in which the doorknob extends. The door operation assisting device according to claim 1,
The vehicle door is provided so as to be rotatable about a pivot shaft extending in the vertical direction,
The door operation assisting device is characterized in that the extension member extends in a direction opposite to the rotation axis. The door operation assisting device according to claim 1 or 2,
The doorknob extends in the front-back direction from the one end to the other end, and has a grip between the one end and the other end that is gripped in the vertical direction by a user. Door operation assist device. The door operation assisting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The doorknob has an unlock command detector that detects a command to unlock the door lock by a user's operation,
The vehicle door is configured to unlock the door lock by communicating between a key carried by the user and an in-vehicle device when the unlock command detector detects an unlock command for the door lock. Has a mechanism,
The extension member is characterized in that it has an operation section that is operated by the user when unlocking the door lock, and an operation transmission section that transmits the operation of the operation section to the unlocking command detector. Door operation aid. The door operation assisting device according to claim 4,
The unlock command detector is configured to detect a change in capacitance,
The extension member has a cover portion made of a resin material so as to cover the doorknob, and a first metal plate connected to the unlocking command detector,
The operation section is configured by a second conductive metal plate attached to the back side of the cover section,
The door operation auxiliary device is characterized in that the operation transmission section is constituted by a harness connecting the first metal plate and the second metal plate. The door operation assisting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The doorknob has a lock command detector that detects a door lock command by a user's operation,
The vehicle door has a locking mechanism that locks the vehicle door by communicating between a key carried by a user and an in-vehicle device when the door lock command is detected by the lock command detector;
The door operation auxiliary device is characterized in that the extension member is provided so that at least an operation section corresponding to the lock command detector is exposed. The door operation assisting device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
the extension member is disposed outside the doorknob;
The door operation assisting device further comprises a fixing member disposed inside the doorknob and fixed to the extension member with the doorknob in between.

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